Dehydrating compartment



Feb. 16, 1943. A. F. .WILD

DEmmRATINGf GOMPARTMENT Filed June 10, 1942 ,o t n e v Tm His Ati-,orne

Patented F eb. 16, 1943 UNirap* sr Aralar ortica y 2,311,425 Y Y, DEHYDRATING commu/[ENT Albert F. wild, sootia, N. Y., assignor to General' Electric Company, a corporation of New York appiioation .ione 1o, 1942, serial No. 446,430

(ci. ca -ss) 9 Claims. My invention relates to refrigerator cabinets and more particularly'to dehydrating compart ments or receptacles for use with refrigerator cabinets.

Certain foods as cereals and crackers, for example, are packaged to maintain the articles in like.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and the features of novelty which characterize my invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

For a better understanding of my invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawing in which Fig. l illustrates a refrigerator cabinet embodying the features of my invention and Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the lines 2 2 of Fig. 1. Referring to the drawing, I have illustrated a refrigerator cabinet III of the domestic type having a food storage compartment II defined by suitable heat insulated walls and a closure mem- Aber I2. The walls of the cabinet include an inner liner I3 and an outer casing or liner It, the .space therebetween'being filled with a suitable thermal insulating material I5. In order to provide refrigeration for the compartment I I, I have `provided an evaporator or cooling element I6 of 'any suitable type, illustrated in the drawing as being arranged in the upper portion of the refrigerated food storage compartment at one side thereof. Iiiasmuch as the refrigerating apparatus forms no part of my present invention-it is not believed necessary to show the complete refrigerating system. I have illustrated a plurality of shelves I'I suitably retained in the desired positions on the walls of the compartment II as by shelf supports I8.. I have also illustrated a cold storage receptacle I9 suitably supported immediately below the cooling element I6.-

In the illustrated form 'of my invention the refrigerating unit including the motor compresform of my invention the dehydrator comprises sor element is located at the rear of the lower i portion ofthe cabinet (notshown). Towardthe front of this portion of the cabinet there isprovided a dehydrator compartment in the,

form of a slidable drawer. In vthe illustrated a top or cover portion 2I- having a downwardly and inwardly turned flange 22 extending longi-` tudinally along each edge of the cover, the inwardly turned portion of the flange serving as'a supporting rail for the outwardly turned flange u 23 of the slidable container 2li. The cover 2| with suitable sealing means (not shown) kfor 1 sealing the space between the panel member 25' may be supported from the cabinet in any desired manner as vby brackets 26 suitably secured as by Welding to the coverand the cabinet frame.-

The dehydrator receptacle 20 should be substantially airtight in order to minimize the leakage of moisture-carrying air into the interior of the receptacle. the cover preferably extends around the sides and rear of the receptacle. In the illustrated form of my invention, the vfront wall of the receptacle 26 is in the form of a closure member or panel 25 contacting the outer surface of the lower por tion of the refrigerator cabinet in the closed position thereof. A handle member 26 is provided to facilitate operation of the receptacle or drawer 20. The cover or panel portion 25 is provided and the front of the refrigerator cabinet in order to minimize the possibility of the transfer of air and water vapor between the interior of the receptacle 20 and the air exteriorly of the cabinet through that space.

I have provided communication between the food storage compartment and the interior'of the dehydrator compartment or receptacle in order to 'maintain a relatively llow relative humidity in the dehydrator compartment.

When two air-tight compartments containing gases are interconnected, the gases become 1ntermingled and the pressure of each gas in one compartment becomes equal to the the same gas in the other. is maintained at a substantially different temperature than the other and one of the gases is water vapor, one compartment will have a difpressure of ferent relative humidity than theA other so long as vapor pressures remain constant. For exam.

ple, if the temperature of the refrigerated compartment is approximately forty degrees F. and the relative humidity is -about thirty per cent and the temperature of the dehydyrator cornpartment is of the order of eighty degrees F.,

Therefore, the flange 22 of' AIf on'e compartment heat insulator. j 28 preferably opens into the upper end of the the latter compartment will have a relative humidity of approximately ten per cent. Thus, if

the compartments are thermally insulated from each other and interconnected, a lower relative humidity will prevail in the warmer compartment.

In the illustratedform of my invention, this interconnecting or communicating means comprises a passage, such as a conduit 21, between the compartments. The conduit preferably is formed from relatively. poor heat conducting material, as rubber, in order to minimize the flow of heat into the cooling compartment. 'I'he conduit is preferably disposed below the evaporator for a purpose to be described later.

In order to accelerate the equaliaation of va- Aasfissia I and be equipped with a door in the front wall,

for example.

While I have shown a particular embodiment of my invention, I do notl desire my invention to be limited to the particular construction shown and described and I intend in the appended claims to cover all modifications within the spirit and scope of my invention.

por pressures in the compartments, I have provided a second passage, which may comprise a conduit 28 communicating between the compartments. I have illustrated a tubular conduit suitably retained in a vertically extending recess 2l in the inner liner i3. The conduit may be fiattened, as shown, to provide a relatively smooth surface. vHowever, any other suitable passage may be employed, if desired. Conduit 28 may be formed of any suitable material and may extend through the cabinet wall into the dehydrator compartment or that portion 30 extending through the wall may be separate but in any case the portion 30 preferably is a relatively good The upper end of the conduit food storage compartment at a point remote from the evaporator or cooling element. The lower end should communicate with the dehydrator compartment at a. point spaced from theconduit 21 a substantial distance. l

As is well understood, the air cooled by th cooling element, being heavier than the air in remote sections of the cooled compartment, tends to fall and displaces the lighter warmer air. This movement creates a partial suction which tends to draw toward that region the warmer air in the upper portion of the compartment.

Consequently, the warmer air is drawn across the evaporator and is cooled. The above-described disposition of conduits 21 and 28 makes use of this air circulation. A small amount of the cool air passes through the conduit 21 and displaces air and entrained water vapor upwardly through conduit 2l.

As is well understood, moisture contained the air within the refrigerated compartment condenses out and is deposited on the coldest portion of the compartment, that is, the cooling element or evaporator, appearing thereonv in the form of frost. 'Ihe provision of the conduits between the compartment makes it possible to utilize this action to dehydrate the air in the receptacle because the moisture-containing vair is forced outof the dehydrator and is replaced by' the cooler dehydrated air `entering the dehydrator. By making the conduits relatively small in cross section, the refrigeration in the receptacle or compartment 20 is substantially prevented and no substantial addition to vthe load on the refrigerating system results.

'Ihe equalization of pressures may furthery be accelerated by disposing the upper end of conduit 21 immediately below the evaporator.

Modifications will occur to those skilled 4in the art. For example, the dehydrator compartment or receptacle may be placed in any desired 1ocation. Also, while a sliding receptacle-is illus- What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

l. In a refrigerator having a refrigerated compartment and a cooling element disposed therein, a substantially air tight receptacle associated with said refrigerator cabinet, and means including a plurality-of passages communicating between the interior, of the compartment and the 'interior of the receptacle for permitting the pas-v sage of water vapor and air from the receptacle to the refrigerated compartment, said passages being sufficiently small in cross section to substantially prevent refrigeration of said receptacle.

2. In a refrigerator having a refrigerated com-Y nig a plurality of passages communicating between the interior of the compartment and the interior of the receptacle for permitting the passage of water vapor and air from the receptacle to the refrigerated compartment, the ends of said passages associated with said refrigerated compartment being spaced apart a substantial distance and the ends of the passages associated with the receptacle being spaced apart a substantial distance, said passages, being sufliciently small in cross section to substantially prevent refrigeration of said receptacle.

3. In a refrigerator having a refrigerated compartment and a cooling element disposed therein, a substantially air-tight receptacle associated with said refrigerator cabinet, and means including a plurality of passages communicating between the interior of the compartment and the interior of the receptacle for permitting the passage of water vapor and air from the .receptacle to the refrigerated compartment; one of said passages terminating in the lower portion of the refrigerated compartment, said passages being sufficiently small in cross section to substanpassage of water .vapor and air from the receptrated, the dehydrator may be fixed as to position tacle to the refrigerated compartment, one of said passages terminating immediately below said cooling element, said passages being sufficiently small in cross section to substantially prevent refrigeration of said receptacle.

5. In a refrigerator having a refrigerated compartment and a cooling element disposed therein, a substantially air-tight receptacle associated with said refrigerator cabinet. and means including a plurality of passages communicating between the interior ofthe compartment and the interior ofthe receptacle for permitting the passage of water vapor and air from the receptacle to the refrigerated compartment, the ends of said passages associated with said refrigerated compartment being spaced apart a substantial distance and the ends of the passages associated with the receptacle being spaced apart a substantial distance, one of said passages terminating in said refrigerated compartment below said cooling element, said passages being sufilciently small in cross section to substantially prevent refrigeration of said receptacle.

6. In a refrigerator having a refrigerated compartment and a cooling elementl disposed therein, a substantially air-tight receptacle associated `with said refrigerator cabinet, and means including a plurality of passages communicating between the interior of the compartment and the interior of the receptacle for permitting the passage of water vapor and air from the receptacle to the refrigerated compartment, one of said passages communicating with the refrigerated compartment below said cooling element and the other of said passages communicating with the upper portion of said refrigerated compartment.

-7. In a refrigerator having a refrigerated compartment and a cooling element disposed therein,

a substantially air-tight receptacle associated with said refrigerator cabinet, and means including a plurality of passages communicating between the interior'of the compartment and the interior of the receptacle for permitting the passage of water vapor and air from the receptacle to the refrigerated compartment, one `of said passages communicating with the refrigerated compartment below said cooling element and the other of said passages communicating with the upper portion of said refrigerated compartment at a point spaced from said cooling element.

8. In a refrigerator having a refrigerated compassages communicating with the lower portion y 3 partment and a cooling element disposed therein. a substantially air-tight receptacle associated with said refrigerator cabinet; and means' including a plurality of passages communicating between the interior of the compartment and the interior of the receptacle for permitting the passage of watervvapor and air from the receptacle' to the refrigerated compartment, one of said passage of water vapor and -air from the receptacle to the refrigerated compartment, the ends of said passages associated with the' receptacle being spaced apart a substantial distance. one of said passages communicating with said refrigerated compartment below said cooling element and the other of said passages communicating with the upper portion of the refrigerated compa ment at a pointspaced from said cooling ement, the ends of said passages associated with said refrigerated compartment, being spaced apart a substantial distance.

ALBERT F. WILD. 

